Today's class was a nice refresher for uses of Twitter and Pinterest. Both of these tools are not brand new to me; I use both on a pretty regular basis. I find more value in Pinterest because it has been an effective way for me to organize and bookmark different resources for thematic units. I like how handy it is to have a visual list of the books, blogs, and activities that I do throughout the year.
However, the RSS feed for blogs was the most beneficial part of the day's class. I am a regular visit to several education (cough.. fashion) blogs, and I typically type in the address to visit these sites. The RSS feed is a more time-saving and practical method for staying up-to-date on posts. Although I'm very guilty of surfing the web when I'm bored, I'm always on the lookout for ideas that will save me time. I liked surfing my websites from my ipad, and I think this is a tool I will use in the future.
Subtext is an interesting app. I wish it was an app I could use for my students during independent. I imagine that will be a possibility. Right now, I have my 5th grade students reading guided reading level books that are about 8-10 pages in length. Allowing them to respond to prompts in the middle of the book would greatly help strengthen the concept of asking questions while reading. I think it would be a good basis for directing classroom discussions as well. Is this something that might be a reality? Or are my kids too young?